Accidental fires due to electrical causes can come from nearly every electrical device in the home or business. Some electrical fires take a long time to develop, some happen in an instant. As one example, power supply component malfunctions can occasionally occur in all electronic devices such as consumer electronics, audio/video equipment, and personal computers and monitors.
Even sophisticated electronic devices such as large computer systems can be susceptible to heat-generating defects, such as power-to-ground shorts. In such computer systems, the difference between a normally functioning system and a shorted system can be in the milli-Ohms. Thus, if power supply operational tolerances for a computer system are set too conservatively, the system runs the risk of false shutdowns, even when the system is operating normally. Likewise, if power supply operational tolerances are set too aggressively, the system runs the risk of possible system damage and/or fires due to shorts.
Several approaches have been taken to enhance the early detection of conditions which can lead to shorts/fires in electronic devices. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/268,738, filed Oct. 10, 2002, entitled, “Conformal Coating Enhanced to Provide Heat Detection” outlines one such approach. In this application, a coating is provided which will emit a particular gas when heated to a particular temperature. This coating is applied to an object to which pre-damage heat detection is desired (e.g., a circuit board/electronic component in an electrical device). One or more sensors are then installed in proximity to the coated components such that when a component reaches a particular operating temperature, the coating begins to emit a gas which is detected by the sensor. In this way, damage can be prevented to components from excess heat, and subsequent electrical fires can be prevented.
There is a need for a simple, low-cost alternative to fire detection within electronic devices. Such an alternative should utilize simple, off-the-shelf electronic components to provide the detection. Such detection should be usable in a wide variety of environmental conditions.